So... Wilco

How about those Wilco dudes? I love'em. Sort of.

We have a strange relationship, to be sure. Their first album, A.M., was a somewhat forgettable album. It had some good songs but it wasn't a masterpiece. Being There was an almost masterpiece. It's the album where they really just went for it. It wasn't a perfect album, but it was thrilling to hear a band stop giving a fuck and really shoot for greatness.

Summerteeth was one of the more interesting albums of the 90's. Before this one they were a alt country band. With this one... they turned into a darker version of The Beach Boys. And it was awesome.

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot I can't even describe. If you haven't heard that album you don't know what you're missing. Go listen to it now and hear the best album of this decade.

Then came A Ghost is Born and that's where things started to go sour. I enjoy the album very much, but it has problems. First is "Spiders (Kidsmoke)". The earlier version of the song had it as a beautiful acoustic song. Slow and sad. The album version turned it into something different altogether. Not that the song it turned into was bad, but it just felt like they messed with something that was almost perfect and turned it into something lesser. Why mess with something so good if the outcome isn't going to be as good as the original? Then there was that song near the end of the album that had 12 minutes of noise at the end. There was no need for it. The album just felt like it had a bunch of needless experimentation.

Then there was Sky Blue Sky. And that was the worst, most boring album they ever made. Aside from "Side with the Seeds", the album doesn't have a single song that could stand next to their greatest works. Mostly the album was filled with songs like
"Hate It Here", which was just a throwaway Dad-Rock song.

So now they've got this new album called "Wilco (The Album)". I'm not sure what to think. The album's name is both boring and bland, yet kind of funny and self deprecating. The first song is called "Wilco {The Song)". This is a song I've actually heard before and I really disliked it. But come on. Wilco being funny? I'm intrigued yet treading lightly at the same time. The only other song from the album I've heard before is "One Wing", another song I found boring. So who knows? So far I sort of like the way they're going with this whole "humor" thing, but I've not been a fan of the songs I've heard. It's pretty rare to find a band like Wilco. I love them yet now, whenever I hear they have a new album, I tread with caution, not excitement. Like, am I happy they have a new album? Is it just going to be more Dad-Rock songs? Are they still doing the alt country thing like on Sky Blue Sky, or are they heading back to the sonic wave length like on Yankee Hotel Foxtrot? Or are they up to something new altogether? We'll find out, but right now I'm not entirely sure I want to.

-M